Finsbury Park attack suspect named as Darren Osborne

Crime reporter(wp/bbc):

The man arrested on suspicion of carrying out the Finsbury Park terror attack is 47-year-old Darren Osborne from Cardiff, the BBC understands.

He was held after a van hit Muslims who had been attending evening prayers at a north London mosque.

They had been helping a man who had collapsed. He later died but it is not clear if it was because of the attack.

Mr Osborne was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and later further arrested over alleged terror offences.

Police are carrying out searches at an address in the Cardiff area.

Security Minister Ben Wallace said the suspect was not known to the security services, and was believed to have acted alone.

The BBC understands Mr Osborne grew up in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, and has four children.

The Metropolitan Police said he was being held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism including murder and attempted murder.

The attack took place shortly after midnight close to Muslim Welfare House on Seven Sisters Road, which is also a community centre.

Several of the injured are believed to be seriously hurt.

London Ambulance Service said nine people were taken to hospital and a number of others were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the incident was "quite clearly an attack on Muslims", and the community would now see more police, including armed officers, in the area, "particularly around religious establishments"

It is the fourth terror attack in the UK in three months, after incidents in Westminster, Manchester and on London Bridge.

Prime Minister Theresa May said the attack is "every bit as sickening" as the others.

"It was an attack that once again targeted the ordinary and the innocent going about their daily lives - this time British Muslims as they left a mosque having broken their fast and prayed together at this sacred time of year," she said.

After speaking outside Downing Street, the prime minister visited Finsbury Park Mosque, which is also close to the scene of the incident, where she held talks with faith leaders.

Labour leader and Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn also visited the area, telling the BBC that "an attack on a mosque, an attack on a synagogue, an attack on a church is actually an attack on all of us".

Locals say this is a proudly multicultural area, where the biggest rivalry is whether you support Arsenal or their north London rivals, Tottenham.

Now the mood here is one of shock, as residents stand by the police cordon seeing the aftermath of yet another attack in London.

Mother-of-four Nicola Senior, 43, is walking back from taking her children to school when she stops to take in the scene.

She said: "I'm frightened. Is there going to be retaliation?

"I am fearful for my kids. Can we go to the park? Can we go to the church? It feels like this is happening all the time."

The driver of the van was detained by bystanders before police arrived.

People at the scene said he had told them he wanted to kill Muslims.

The imam of Muslim Welfare House said a passing police van was flagged down.

Mohammed Mahmoud told reporters: "We told them the situation - there's a man, he's restrained, he mowed down a group of people with his van and there is a mob attempting to hurt him and if you don't take him then, God forbid, he might be seriously hurt.

"We pushed people away from him until he was safely taken by police."

Toufik Kacimi, chief executive of Muslim Welfare House, said the suspect had told those holding him "you deserve it" and was also saying "I did my bit".

This incident risks playing right into the hands of those planning further attacks on vulnerable citizens in the UK.

Online followers of the so-called Islamic State have been quick to seize on the Finsbury Park attack as proof of what they see as widespread hostility towards Muslims who live in the West. Inevitably, it will be used by recruiters and propagandists to incite further attacks - extremism breeds extremism.

The one thing that far right anti-Muslim extremists and violent jihadists have in common is the belief that peaceful coexistence between Muslim and non-Muslim is impossible.

The unified prayers and solidarity across communities that followed recent terror attacks are anathema to them. Extremists of both types want instead to divide society and will keep trying to bring this about by criminal acts of provocation such as this.

One dead and 10 injured after lone attacker ploughs into crowd of Muslims

Crime reporter(wp/es):

One man died and ten others were injured after a van driver screaming “I want to kill all Muslims” ploughed into worshippers in a terror attack near to Finsbury Park mosque.

Witnesses told how the suspect shouted “kill me, kill me” and blew kisses from the back of a police van after he was pinned to the ground and arrested following the attack in the early hours of Monday.

The 48-year-old suspect was tackled to the floor and detained by onlookers after the vehicle veered into a crowd of worshippers who had just finished prayers at the mosque in Seven Sisters Road.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu confirmed the attack on worshippers was being treated as terrorism. Theresa May said that an early assessment by police suggested the attacker "acted alone".

In an statement outside Scotland Yard on Monday morning, Mr Basu said the attack unfolded as a man was receiving first aid from the public and that he died at the scene.

Eight other people were taken to hospital, at least two of them with “very serious injuries”, Mr Basu said.

He said: "The attack unfolded whilst a man was receiving first aid from the public at the scene; sadly, he has died.

"Any causative link between his death and the attack will form part of our investigation.

"It is too early to state if his death was as a result of the attack."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was visibly distraught at he visited the scene of the terror attack in his own constituency.

The attacker struck at 12.15am as the area was busy with worshippers attending Ramadan night prayers at the mosque.

Video footage showed the suspect being pinned to the ground by brave members of the public before he was arrested by police.

Witnesses said the suspect was protected by an imam after some of the bystanders began beating him on the ground.

Mr Basu said the inside of the van has been investigated and that nothing was found that posed a further risk to public safety. Officers believe the attacker acted alone.

He added that no-one suffered stab injuries during the attack amid early reports a knifeman was spotted in the van.

Witness Sami Ali told the WT: “There was an elderly woman and a guy trapped under the car, everyone was just trying to help them.

"They grabbed the man and held him on the ground - he was shouting 'kill me kill me' but they just held him down.”

Another man, who did not wish to be named, was leaving the mosque when he saw the attack happen.

He said: "I heard screaming and shouting. There was a lot of bodies on the ground, I saw a lot of people being flattened.”

A witness, who wanted to be identified as Abdulrahman, which is not his real name, said he managed to get the driver of the van.

"He wanted to run away and was saying: 'I want to kill Muslims.'

"So he came back to the main road and I managed to get him to the ground and me and some other guys managed to hold him until the police arrived, for about 20 minutes I think, until the police arrived."

Abdulrahman claimed the driver said: 'Kill me', as he was being held.

Mr Basu praised the “restraint” of the “incredibly shaken, incredibly scared and incredibly angry” members of the public who tackled the man.

He added: “It seems to me at the time he was very quickly and calmly given over to the police and put into custody.

“As I’ve said I think that restraint was commendable by members of the community who must have been incredibly shaken, incredibly scared and incredibly angry.

“I’d like to thank them, what it proves to me is that Londoners will act together to protect themselves, but they will do so in a way that doesn’t feed into terrorists and extremists hands.”

The attack is the second terrorist incident to hit the capital’s streets in just over two weeks, with eight people killed in the London Bridge atrocity on June 3.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News: "All of these are attacks on out shared values of freedom, of tolerance and of respect. Terrorism is terrorism, whether someone is inspired by an Islamist narrative or other forms of 'inspiration'.

"We're a great city, we can't allow these terrorists who fuel division to change our lives."

Prime Minister Theresa May has announced she will hold a Cobra committee emergency meeting later on Monday.

Mr Basu added: “This has been an incredibly challenging time for London and the emergency services are stretched, Nevertheless we will all do absolutely everything we can with our partners to protect Londoners and our city.

“Now is the time once again for Londoners to stand together to face those who seek to divide us."

Other videos posted online of the aftermath of Monday's attack showed a scene of chaos as people tried to help the injured.

One man could been seen giving CPR to a victim in the street, while another man's head injury was treated with a makeshift dressing.

The Muslim Council of Britain has condemned the incident as 'the most violent manifestation' yet of Islamophobia.

Extra security is being stationed at mosques across the capital.

Grenfell Tower death toll rises to 79 as search for victims continues

Staff reporter(wp/es):
At least 79 people are now presumed dead following the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, police said as the search to recover victims continues.

In the latest update on Monday morning, Met Commander Stuart Cundy said officers have now established that the figure of those presumed dead or missing has risen.

All 24 floors of the tower block have now been searched after the recovery operation was paused on Friday over fears for emergency workers’ safety in the building.

Mr Cundy said five people had been formally identified, and that the rest were "sadly" missing presumed dead.

He told reporters the "awful reality" was that it might not be possible to identify all the victims. Some families have lost more than one member, he added.

The announcement came ahead of a minute's silence held at 11am across all Government buildings to remember the people who lost their lives and all those affected by the fire in north Kensington last week.

Speaking outside Scotland Yard, Mr Cundy said: “As of this morning, I am afraid to say that there are now 79 people that we believe are either dead or missing, and I sadly have to presume are dead."

Mr Cundy said the death toll may still change, but not as significantly as it has in recent days.

Five people who had been reported missing after the disaster have been found safe and well, he added.

Fighting back tears, he said it had been "incredibly emotional" working at the scene, adding: "On Saturday I went in myself and went to the top floor. It is incredibly hard to describe the devastation in some parts of that building."

He said: "I have investigated major crime for most of my service and I have seen some terrible things. But I don't think anything prepared me for what I was going to see when I was in there.

"It's hard to describe my feelings, because I cannot imagine, and I would not want to put myself in the position of those families who have lost their loved ones.

"But being with colleagues from the London Fire Brigade when I was in there, colleagues from the London Ambulance Service and other police officers, I think it's fair to say it is incredibly emotional working in there.

"But we will do it with our utmost professionalism and we will do everything we can as quickly as we can to locate everybody who is in there."

Grenfell Tower residents' 'angry and passionate' meeting with Theresa May at 10 Downing Street

Pic:The group outside Number 10 on Saturday.
Staff reporter(wp/es):

Grenfell Tower victims held “passionate and angry” talks with Theresa May in an “unprecedented” meeting at Downing Street just days after a fire ravaged 120 homes and killed as many as 58 people.

Sixteen "very ordinary people" voiced their concerns at Number 10 and left Saturday’s meeting finally feeling like they were listened to, the Bishop of Kensington, Dr Graham Tomlin said.

The Bishop added that is hopeful the two-and-a-half hour long meeting, attended by victims, residents, community leaders and volunteers, was the starting point for a process of "lasting change".

He said: "I'm positive because I think it was a real chance for local residents, people affected by this tragedy, to voice their concerns directly to the Prime Minister so that she could hear them.

"That's why I'm positive about it, because I think in the past local residents here have not always been listened to."

He added that feeling of being ignored is a source of much "deep frustration", and told how people have been left feeling "that decisions are taken about their lives and their homes that they are not party to".

He described the residents as "brilliant" in how they raised and explained their concerns to Mrs May.

Dr Tomlin said: "I thought the way they expressed themselves with a mixture of passion and reason was fantastic, and I hope it's the beginning of a process, not the end of a process, the beginning of a process of real listening between Government, RBKC (the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council), local residents, that will bring about lasting change."

Following the meeting, Mrs May released a strongly-worded statement in which she said on-the-ground support for families in the immediate aftermath of the blaze "was not good enough".

She said she has ordered daily progress reports on housing for those affected, and vowed the public inquiry into the disaster will be "open and transparent".

Dr Tomlin said the residents had gone from living normal lives before the tragedy to bringing their frustrations to the very top of Government.

He said: "Clearly it's quite unprecedented for 16 very ordinary people, who this time last week were walking their dogs or talking to each other in the streets around here and north Kensington, actually to be in 10 Downing Street talking face-to-face with the Prime Minister. I think it was a good thing to do."

Asked if there were angry exchanges, he said: "We tried to hold it well as a meeting. There was passion, there was anger, but there was good, hard, reasoned argument used by the residents."

Questioned as to whether the anger followed Mrs May's initial visit to the west London site during which she did not meet residents, he said: "We didn't talk directly about that."

Dr Tomlin said he believed residents left the meeting feeling "reassured that they were listened to", but added: "Time will tell as to whether it makes a difference.

"We wait to see what action will come from it, but they were reassured that they were listened to.”

The Bishop’s revelations came as Labour MP David Lammy called on the Prime Minister and Metropolitan Police to immediately seize all relevant Grenfell Tower documents.

Mr Lammy, who lost friend Khadija Saye in the blaze, said that after speaking to residents, suspicion of a cover-up is rising and Mrs May and investigators must ensure all pertinent documents are protected.

The Tottenham MP said: "Within the community, trust in the authorities is falling through the floor and a suspicion of a cover-up is rising.

"The Prime Minister needs to act immediately to ensure that all evidence is protected so that everyone culpable for what happened at Grenfell Tower is held to account and feels the full force of the law.

"We need urgent action now to make sure that all records and documents relating to the refurbishment and management of Grenfell Tower are protected."

Mr Lammy added that justice can only done if all records - emails, minutes of meetings, correspondence with contractors, safety assessments, specifications and reports - are preserved.

He said: "When the truth comes out about this tragedy we may find that there is blood on the hands of a number of organisations.

"At this stage, it is my grave concern that the families of Grenfell Tower will not get justice if documents are being quietly destroyed and shredded and emails are being deleted."

The police have powers to seize all documents, but Section 35 of the Public Inquiry Act, which makes the destruction of any documents a criminal offence, does not apply until a chairman is appointed and the terms of reference set.

On Saturday, police confirmed 58 people were missing, presumed dead, following the blaze after police revealed some of the victims “may never be identified”.

Police probe after man knifed by gang of thugs at bus stop

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A man was stabbed after being set upon by a gang of thugs at a bus stop at Heathrow Airport.

Police and paramedics were scrambled just before midnight on Friday after incident, which happened outside bus stop K on the Northern Perimeter Road at the west London airport.

The victim, a 20-year-old man, is believed to have been attacked by a group of up to eight people, both male and female, Scotland Yard said.

He was rushed to a west London hospital for treatment.

His condition is not life-threatening, according to the Met.

A spokesman added that no arrests had been made and enquiries are ongoing.

58 people now presumed dead in Grenfell Tower horror as 16 bodies recovered

Pic:Top pic Greenfell Tower After Burn.Down pic-Members of the emergency services in the middle floors/AFP
Staff reporter(wp/es):
At least 58 people are now presumed dead following the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, police said as the search to recover bodies continues.
In the latest update on Saturday, Commander Stuart Cundy said officers have now established there were 58 people known to have been in the tower at the time of the disaster and who are still missing.

Police have so far recovered 16 bodies and the first victim has been formally identified as 23-year-old Mohammed Alhajali.

All 24 floors of the high rise building has now been searched. The recovery operation was paused on Friday over fears for the safety of emergency workers in the building but is now set to resume.

Mr Cundy said: "Sadly, at this time there are 58 people who we have been told were in the Grenfell Tower on the night that are missing, and therefore sadly, I have to assume that they are dead.

"That number 58 may change. I really hope it won't, but it may increase.

"Our focus has been on those that we know were in Grenfell Tower. However, there may be other people who were in there on the night that others were not aware were there.

"That is also an absolute priority for the investigation - to establish who they may be," he added.

Of the 58, he said 30 were confirmed dead.

Mr Cundy appealed to anyone who may have escaped from the building, but has not yet come forward, to make themselves known.

More than 6,000 calls were made to the police casualty bureau as well as to forces across the country in the wake of the disaster.

Speaking about the criminal probe which has been launched, Mr Cundy pledged anyone who has committed an offence would be brought to justice.

He said the police investigation into the blaze would look at the building and its refurbishment in 2016 and vowed to prosecute people "if there is evidence".

He said: "The investigation is a police investigation. We investigate criminal matters. The investigation will identify any criminal offence that has been committed. It will be wide ranging.

"It will go to establish the answers of what happened in the fire and how it spread, it will look at the building itself, it will look at the refurbishment as well.

"Our criminal investigation will identify any criminal offences that have been committed. Wherever we can, we will bring people to justice if there is evidence. It is completely and wholly inappropriate for me to talk about details of the investigation which may subsequently jeopardise any criminal proceedings."

The fire ripped through the tower block, on the Lancaster West Estate in north Kensington, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Witnesses reported seeing people screaming and jumping from the building in the terror.

Fury over the Grenfell Tower blaze came to a head on Friday with two separate protests erupting across the capital.

A crowd of furious protesters stormed Kensington town hall demanding answers from the local authority before marching to the base of the tower.

In a separate rally at Whitehall, more than a thousand people marched to Downing Street in anger at the Government’s response to the disaster.

Theresa May met with survivors of the tragedy in hospital and on Saturday welcomed residents to Downing Street.

Family liaison officers are working with 52 families, and as soon as victims are identified, their loved ones will be told, Mr Cundy added in the update on Saturday.

The police commander said at the scene: "At this point in time we have 16 people who have been recovered to the mortuary.

"I absolutely understand the frustration of why figures haven't been released earlier. The reason for that - at one point, in terms of our casualty bureau, there were 400 people who were reported missing from Grenfell Tower.

"Grenfell Tower itself is 120 flats. We have worked tirelessly over the last four days to truly understand those that we know were there on the night."

He added: "I understand - I really do understand - the frustration of so many about not knowing the scale of the tragedy that is unfolding behind us.

"I have said it before, you have my absolute assurance that as soon as I can possibly tell you something that I know to be accurate, I will tell you."

Mr Cundy said: "The investigation will be exhaustive. My intention is that it will help provide answers.

"If, as we investigate, we identify issues that are a risk to public safety, we will not be waiting until the end of the investigation before we provide that information to the appropriate authorities.

"If there are any safety issues that we and experts that we will be using identify, we will share that immediately."

Grenfell fundraisers across London: Where to show your support

Staff reporter(wp/es):
London's theatres, bars and restaurants are raising money for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. Here’s where you can show your support.

Battersea Arts Centre

When a fire ravaged this arts centre in 2015, the community rallied round. It is now giving back with a two-hour show featuring some of the UK’s best comedians, including Heydon Prowse, Josie Long and Imran Yusuf, hosted by Daniel Kitson. 

Info: Monday, £25, Lavender Hill, SW11, bac.org.uk

Ravenscourt Park

Bring the family along for a child-friendly fitness session in the park and donate what you can.

Info: Monday, Bianca Sainty Personal Training, W6, sainty.net

Dalston Roof Park

Head to Dalston Roof Park for an evening of brilliant acts and DJs. Enter the raffle for £5 to win festival tickets, clothes and vinyl. 

Info: Thursday, from £10, 18 Ashwin Street, E8, bootstrapcompany.co.uk

Bush Hall

Stop wallowing in self-pity because you didn’t get Glastonbury tickets. Get along to this sunny Shepherd’s Bush terrace for all the golden moments on a big screen, with live music, DJs, a raffle and an auction thrown in. 

Info: Friday, from £3, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12, residentadvisor.net 

Yoga on Clapham Common

Bring a mat and come along for a one-hour Karma Yoga class on the north-west side of Clapham Common, followed by a trip to the pub. 

Info: Jun 25, £10, SW4, beckyfarbsteinyoga.com

The Test Kitchen

Top chef Adam Simmonds will be cooking for Grenfell tomorrow at his pop-up Soho restaurant. They're operating a pay-what-you-like policy, with every penny raised being donated to help. Be generous. 

Info: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, @The_TestKitchen

Fuci na

Similarly, this upmarket Italian in Paddington is donating all of its profits to victims of the tragedy on Monday, with 25% off food to encourage more people to come in and eat their way to a donation. 

Info: Monday 19, 26 Paddington St, W1 5QY, fucina.co.uk